A Vineyard Blessing (A Vineyard Sunset Series, #10) by Katie Winters

Author:Katie Winters
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: womens divorce fiction, sisters fiction, clean and wholesome fiction, small town fiction, later in life
Publisher: Katie Winters
Published: 2021-10-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

After Beth’s dramatic departure, Andy called her several times to check-in, but it only went to voicemail. He hovered in the rain outside of the warehouse as Axel and Clint tore through a heavy discussion inside. Although Andy burned with curiosity about what they said, Clint had asked him for a moment of privacy, and Andy had known better not to resist. Now, Axel burst from the warehouse doors and strutted through the rain toward his BMW. He walked past Andy as though he wasn’t there at all.

Andy returned to the belly of the warehouse, where he found Clint again at the top of the ladder, which teetered beneath him slightly. The radio spit out oldies, just as it always had, as though time itself hadn’t just stopped short in its tracks. Clint made a small note on his yellow pad regarding the sailboat, pursed his lips together, and whistled like a songbird.

“Clint?” Andy felt suddenly like a much younger, much more frightened man. This was territory he didn’t understand. He’d never been in love before, and he hadn’t understood the heaviness of potential loss.

Clint’s sigh cut through his whistle. When he turned his face down toward Andy, his cheeks sagged with sorrow.

“That was really something, wasn’t it?”

Andy closed his eyes. “I never knew who...”

Clint buzzed his lips. “I love my son, Andrew. I have to love him. No matter what his mother did, no matter how far away he runs from me, I have to love him. Otherwise, I don’t have a lot of love in my life. And a man needs love. It’s nourishment. It’s basically the point. It took me a long time to figure all that out, and now that I have, I don’t want to let it go.”

Andy wanted to point out how undeserving of love Axel seemed, but he saw Clint’s point. You couldn’t choose who your children were. You couldn’t always pick the way life turned out.

Clint stepped down the ladder without giving notice. It swayed as Andy moved forward to grip it.

“Axel’s in a rage right now,” Clint offered finally as he stepped onto solid ground. He reached for a spare juice box, pushed a straw into it, and sucked at the high-fructose delight. He scrunched his nose, added, “Not bad,” then continued to drink.

“But he has to understand... If Will is actually...” Andy couldn’t say the words. It felt too heavy. Axel as Will’s biological father? The man who’d left Beth pregnant and alone all those years ago? It seemed too cruel.

“Axel has a dark past,” Clint continued as he placed his now-empty juice box in the trash.

“Who doesn’t?” Andy returned.

Clint’s smile was twisted. “I’d argue that you’re stronger than Axel. Your dark past hasn’t disallowed you from finding love and healing. Axel’s past has made him crueler than most and more arrogant. He’s always been the type of man who gets what he wants.”

“What happened to him?” Andy murmured.

Clint shook his head ominously. “I just don’t know what he’ll do with the information he got today.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.